A "stowaway group" consisting of a mother mouse and 10 baby mice were found in an aircraft from Hong Kong, Southeast Morning Post reported on Monday.

The mice were found as the aircraft was about to undergo maintenance checks in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Sept 30. The baby mice were still too young to open their eyes.

The plane had flown a number of international routes in the previous 15 days and the mice were probably from overseas, the report said. The local inspection and quarantine department did not find any parasites on the mice.

It's the largest number of mice found in an aircraft, according to the report.

Mice spread disease but they also pose a serious risk to aircraft as they chew the plane's wiring.